JR's 'Women Are Heroes' Takes Me Out of Cathrynn Brown's Heart of Darkness

Anne has been in a bit of a funk since writing Gang of 10 Republican NM Women Want To Jail Rape (and Incest) Victims for 3 Years If They Abort. 2% of AOC’s web traffic yesterday came in under the search term “Babylon”. If you know your Christianity at all, you know that being associated with Babylon is one step away from being viewed as the anti-Christ. FYI, Oprah is firmly entrenched in that position: an anti-Christ or friend of the devil in the words of the Rick Perry crowd. 

The Irrepressible Phyllis Schlafly

Moving from this latest attempt of the Republican party to seize control of women’s bodies to writing the first installment of an article posted later today on why America needs an Equal Rights Amendment for women more than ever, I spent much of yesterday watching Phyllis Schlafly videos.

I try to pulse the content at Anne of Carversville, moving from serious to light-hearted (a relative term with me). Moving from the Gang of 10 Republican women to why we MUST renew America’s push for an ERA, is too much negativity back to back on AOC’s front page. 

I admit that Schlafly’s words haunt me, because I believe myself to be a fairly good person with good values. When Phyllis Schlafly talks about the despicable feminists, she is talking about me. When she leads a bus tour for defeated Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin after his legitimate rape comments, she is telling all American women — including me — that Todd Akin is our guy. 

I say ‘no’, Todd Akin is NOT our guy. And Phyllis Schlafly is NOT our gal. Their unsubstantiated, fear-mongering arguments about the ideal path for American women is deadly as far as I’m concerned. 

Schlafly would have you believe that the sole focus of America’s feminists is material consumption and dominating men, but I think a thorough examination of American feminism would tell a different story.

Looking Beyond Babylon

Reflecting deeply on how to present a positive face of feminism — a set of ideals so derided by Phyllis Schlafly and the right-wing as representing nothing more than “shiny object” issues of self-absorbed me-me-me women — I met up again this morning with global graffiti artist JR and his “Women Are Heroes” project. 

A key difference between the majority of feminists and anti-equal rights for women figurehead Phyllis Schlafly is that we are globalists. Not only are we dedicated to making our own communities better here in America, but we see ourselves as part of the global human community. This perspective borders on making on traitors to the nation, in the right-wing play-book. 

In an effort to project goodness into the universe today and not the anger and fury I feel towards those 10 Republican women in New Mexico and Phyllis Schlafly in particular — I share the story of JR and his ‘Women are Heroes’ project.  Kibera is one of JR’s main focus hot spots around the globe. 

Many of our GlamTribalebeads and stones come from the Kibera area in Kenya’s suburb of Nairobi. Through purchases of my jewelry, readers and friends support the young women of Kibera in a project that donates sanitary napkins to keep them in school. GlamTribale jewelry purchases also support Planned Parenthood of PA, the largest provider of women’s health care in the state.

On the Subject of Social Conservatives, There Is Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself

In a weird reverse logic sort of way, I realize today that Phyllis Schlafly and company are so derisive of women like myself because calm, rational discussions about the various opportunities for women to serve and execute our civic responsibilities are absent in America. Schlafly passes judgment on my own commitments to poor women in America and around the world, because dialogue and a thorough examination of my own values counteracts her tightly-constructed vision of American feminists.

I’m reminded of Franklin D Roosevelt’s famous words “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” In looking into the hearts and souls of people like Phyllis Schlafly, the Gang of 10 in New Mexico, the entire Republican right wing, Catholic bishops and everyone who professes a direct line to God, this is my new perspective.

Direct confrontation of their heartless, derisive, war-mongering, opportunistic vision of humanity is in order, and it begins today. ~ Anne

JR’s Women Are Heroes Project

Slums of the World

‘The Places We Live’: Four Monumental Slums Typify ‘Home’ for More Than One Billion PeopleAOC World

In 2008, for the first time in human history, more people lived in cities than in rural areas. One-third of these urban dwellers—more than one billion people—resided in slums. That number is expected to rise substantially: the United Nations forecasts that the number of slum dwellers will double to two billion people within the next 25 years. Poverty is urbanizing at breakneck speed, and there are few overarching plans to address how cities can accommodate this rapid influx of humans.

Track JRon his blog from Kabul to Japan.

Welcome to Kibera

JR visited Kibera in 2008 to take photographs of its residents. Now women of Kibera are having their Andy Warhol 15 minutes of fame, thanks to his vision “Women Are Heroes”.

He returned in 2009 after the mayhem of the election riots (mayhem is putting it mildly), to plaster their portraits on train carriages and on the roofs of their houses.

By using waterproof vinyl material, he ensured his art might have a practical purpose. “The more you go to places like Kibera, the more you realise that the people don’t understand you,” he says, in his faultless, breathless English. “Food is their first need. They don’t do art just for the love of art. It has to make sense. By making their roofs rainproof, what we did made sense. They loved it. viaLondon Times

In Paris All Eyes Are On ‘Women Are Heroes’AOC World

Feminists As Anti-Christs

Hear This Rick Perry: If Oprah Is A Harlot, I Am A Harlot, TooAOC Women

‘Rick Perry’s Army of God’, written in Sept 2009, introduces us to Tom Schlueter of Arlington and Bob Long of San Marcos, two pastors who not only support Rick Perry as America’s next president, but consider themselves to be prophets of God. So consumed with importance are these two men, that they consider themselves modern-day apostles and prophets, with a direct line to God.

Another Perry direct line to God is IHOP, as in International House of Prayer. The church was founded in 1999 by a self-trained evangelist named Mike Bickle and draws tens of thousands of worshippers to its revivals and sponsors perpetual prayer to help usher in the Final Days, writes the Houston Chronicle. 

Bickle preaches an apocalyptic Christianity that warns of the rise of a Satan-inspired religion he labels Harlot Babylon.

“I believe that one of the main pastors of the Harlot movement - it’s not the Harlot movement yet - is Oprah,” Bickle has proclaimed. “She is winsome, she is kind, she is reasonable. She is utterly deceived.”